Manly edible bouquets for Father’s Day

When you think of gifts for dear ol’ Dad on Father’s Day, a bouquet probably doesn’t come to mind. Usually you surprise Pops with a trip to a new brewery, awesome seats at a ball game or a new bag of super-fancy golf balls. However, not all bouquets are created equal. In fact, these unique and delicious bouquets aren’t something you’ll find in a flower shop or in a store. They’re made with bits and pieces of Dad’s favorite snacks and are 100 percent edible.

What’s better than that? From a bouquet of bacon and all-American hot dogs to a boozy milkshake topped with an arrangement of fancy mustaches, there’s a bouquet that even the manliest of men will adore this Father’s Day. Just ask my husband. He may not be a daddy yet, but he loved coming home to vases full of meats, cheese and booze.

1. All-American hot dog and bacon bouquet recipe

Serves 2

Supplies:

• 1 large Mason jar
• Skewers

Ingredients:

• 2 hot dogs, boiled
• 1 hot dog bun, split in half
• 3 mozzarella string cheese sticks
• 6 slices crispy cooked bacon
• 2 slices cooked bacon, slightly limp
• Arugula, for the bottom of the jar
• Raw potatoes, sliced in quarters
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Spicy nuts for garnish

Directions:

1. To assemble this bouquet, fill a Mason jar about 3/4 of the way with arugula.
2. Carefully skewer the hot dogs, and stick the bottom 1/3 of the skewer into a raw potato (this will keep it standing upright). Add a drizzle of ketchup and mustard to each hot dog (or add a dab to the tops).
3. Stick the hot dogs (with the potatoes) about halfway into the jar. Top the potatoes with arugula so you don’t see them. Arrange the bun pieces inside the jar.
4. Carefully skewer the cheese sticks, and peel away a few strings around the centers to create string cheese “flowers.” Stick the bottoms of the skewers into the small potatoes, and place them around the hot dogs.
5. Arrange the crispy bacon around the hot dogs and string cheese. To make a few bacon “roses,” fold the limper bacon around your fingers, and use a small skewer to stick them all together. Arrange them around the hot dogs and cheese flowers.
6. Sprinkle with spicy nuts, if desired.

2. Boozy chocolate milkshake with sweet and tasty mustaches recipe

Serves 1

Ingredients:

For the milkshake

• 1 pint chocolate ice cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup chocolate vodka
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate, cut into pieces
• Cool Whip or fresh whipped cream for the top

For the mustaches

• 2 soft-baked oatmeal-raisin cookies
• 4 slices angel food or pound cake
• Black fondant
• Sharp paring knife
• Mustache-shaped cookie cutter
• Stripey straws

Directions:

1. To make the cookie mustaches, carefully stamp out mustache shapes with a small mustache-shaped cookie cutter. Be extra careful, as they are fragile. To attach the cookies to the straws, very carefully insert the tops of the stripey straws into the centers of the cookie mustaches. If they start to crumble, then mold them back together with any extra cookie pieces you have lying around.
2. For the fondant mustaches, roll a few golf ball-size pieces with your hands until soft and pliable. Once soft, roll them out with a rolling pin. Stamp out mustache shapes with your cookie cutter, or use a sharp paring knife to outline the shapes. To attach the fondant mustaches, stick a small ball of fondant at the top of each straw. Carefully attach the mustaches to the balls, and smooth them over with your hands.
3. To make the angel food mustaches, carefully stamp out mustache shapes. Since the angel food cake is much softer (and easier to puncture), I stuck a straw into 1 side of the mustaches to keep them slightly balanced without ripping them in half. Another idea is to freeze the cake so it’s easier to insert a straw into it. If you do this, freeze it for about 30 minutes. If you’re using pound cake, however, then you’ll need to freeze it for only about 10 minutes.
4. To make the milkshake, in a large blender, blend the ice cream, milk, chocolate vodka and chocolate chips. Blend until smooth and pureed.
5. Pour the milkshake into a large Mason or milkshake jar. Top with whipped topping, cookie crumbles and your fun mustache bouquets.

3. Spicy chicken and salmon kebab bouquet recipe

Nothing will spoil Father’s Day like a heart attack or indigestion, so skip the high-fat bouquets, and opt for one of these lower-fat salmon or chicken kebab bouquets instead. They still look meaty and manly but pack far less fat than the originals, which will keep Dad lean, fit and happy for years to come.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs, bones removed
• 1 (4 ounce) filet fresh salmon
• 1 small zucchini, halved and sliced
• 1 small summer squash, halved and sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into large pieces
• 1 container baby bella mushrooms, stems removed
• 4 medium-size wooden skewers, soaked in water for about 2 hours
• 1 tablespoon Moroccan spice
• 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Dash garlic salt and cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon Morrocan spice, 1/4 tablespoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon curry powder, garlic salt and cracked pepper. Liberally toss to thoroughly coat the chicken, and then cover the bowl with saran wrap. Chill it for about an hour.
2. Meanwhile, cut the salmon into bite-size pieces, and toss it with the remaining seasonings. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and cover with saran wrap. Let it chill for about an hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Alternately skewer a mushroom cap, zucchini slice, summer squash slice, red pepper and chicken or salmon piece. Repeat until you have 2 sets of each on 1 skewer. Place them in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
4. Once you have 4 kebabs, bake them for about 8 to12 minutes or until the chicken is browned and the salmon is opaque.
5. Toss some lettuce into the bottom of a large Mason jar, and then stick in the skewers.

4. Bootleggers’ Bloody Mary recipe

Recipe and photo courtesy of Bootleggers Modern American Smokehouse, Scottsdale, Arizona

Serves 1

Ingredients:

For the Bloody Mary:

• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) tomato juice
• 3 tablespoons (1-1/2 ounces) vodka
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated horseradish
• 3 dashes hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 dash freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 celery stalk, for garnish
• 1 lemon wedge, for garnish
• 1 lime wedge, for garnish
• 1 olive, for garnish

For the slider:

• 1 ground beef slider
• 1 slider pretzel bun
• 1/2 slice yellow cheddar cheese
• 1 ounce sliced pork belly
• 1 tablespoon boot sauce (our version of Thousand Island dressing)
• 2 cottage fries, for garnish
• 1 gherkin, for garnish

Directions:

For the Bloody Mary:

1. In an 11-ounce highball glass, stir together the tomato juice, vodka, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, hot sauce, salt and pepper.
2. Fill another glass with ice, and then pour the mixture into that second glass. Pour back and forth 3 to 4 times to mix well, and then sprinkle with lemon juice.
3. Garnish with the celery stalk and a skewer of lemon wedge, olive and lime wedge.

For the slider:

1. Cook the burger to temperature. Heat the pork belly until cooked through.
2. Build the burger with the slider, pork belly, cheese and sauce. Skewer through the middle of the slider, and place it in the drink. Top the skewer with the cottage fries and gherkin.

More Father’s Day recipes

Steak brownie recipe for Father’s Day
41 Favorite recipes for Father’s Day
Beer-infused recipes for Father’s Day